Running tip

militarydreams
militarydreams Posts: 198 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been running for a while now but last night my friend told me to try using a metronome. I always thought they were for musicians :laugh:. Anyway, I gave it a go even though I was tired, I knocked 20 seconds off of my 4 mile time with a greatly lowered heart rate than normal. I think that if I pushed properly instead of being lazy it would have been an amazing time. So heres what I did:

Grab a 180 bpm metronome (I used a free mp3 download)
Your foot strikes should be to the metronome beats (180 per minute)
If you're tired then decrease your stride length
if you're finding it easy then increase your stride length
If you have a HRM then adjust your stride length to your heart rate
There you have it, your balance between stride length and frequency for your current level of fitness :smile:

One word of warning to new runners, don't overstride. Increase the length of your stride but keep posture and your foot under you as you land or you'll do more harm than good.

I hope this helps someone else.

Replies

  • mumof5
    mumof5 Posts: 328 Member
    thanks :) my pace seems to go up and down, depending on the song I'm listening to. I set out to keep an even pace then get annoyed when I get home and realize I wandered off into lala land and jumped from 9-12.5km per hour! all over the place! will download and give it a go :)
  • ntriplett222
    ntriplett222 Posts: 4 Member
    I found a site that does something similar with music. www.jog.fm . If you put in your pace or steps per minutes (which is calculated on some exercise equipment), it will give you a long list of songs whose beat matches up to that pace. Helps you stay on pace, I will sometimes throw in a song with a faster pace just to give myself that extra push. It's really hard to run out of beat.

    Definitely good advice on the metronome, just don't think I could listen to that noise for more than 3 - 5 minutes.
  • militarydreams
    militarydreams Posts: 198 Member
    Oh wow that's a really good site. I have to admit that even my dream had a rythm last night... that awful chime gets behind your eyes :laugh:
  • madmickie
    madmickie Posts: 221 Member
    i sometimes recite those marine corps cadence things - 1,2,3,4 i love the marine corps etc. (some good ones on Full Metal Jacket) really helps to get me up a tough hill. Also helps if you can get someone else to run in step with you.
  • militarydreams
    militarydreams Posts: 198 Member
    Aaah full metal jacket, I haven't watched that in too long. Might sit down tonight and refresh my memories of that epic rifle cuddling madness :laugh:
  • toadiejones
    toadiejones Posts: 605 Member
    I found a site that does something similar with music. www.jog.fm .

    Thanks for posting!
  • TriPixie
    TriPixie Posts: 28
    You'll experience less stress on your joints with this method as well - make sure to be striking mid to fore foot. Happy running!
  • FerryfieldLad
    FerryfieldLad Posts: 185 Member
    jogfm! What a top tip. Will use this site and iTunes a little later!
  • FitBunnyEm
    FitBunnyEm Posts: 320
    thank u such good advice
  • jyt2573
    jyt2573 Posts: 80
    Bump
  • DianeinCA
    DianeinCA Posts: 307 Member
    My favorite running music is by DJ Steveboy of Podrunner. He puts together mixes at all different cadences, from 130 bpm to 180 bpm. You should be able to find him on iTunes or Podrunner.com.
  • militarydreams
    militarydreams Posts: 198 Member
    My favorite running music is by DJ Steveboy of Podrunner. He puts together mixes at all different cadences, from 130 bpm to 180 bpm. You should be able to find him on iTunes or Podrunner.com.

    I'm starting to feel like I'm the only person in the world that hasn't known about this :laugh: I love all these websites peeps, thank you for sharing. I wont go mental listening to that stupid chime for another second!

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